The Measure of Devotion
by Toimarie
Summary: All favors must be repaid at some point in time. That is the world's way of keeping things in balance.
1. The Measure of Friendship

"We'd like a room for the night please."  
The night clerk accepted the credcard and gave the man his key and card without looking up from his solitaire game. If he had looked up, he would have seen a young man, about 25, helping an exhausted girl walk to the elevator.  
Ro had fallen asleep on the ride up to the room. Zee had a difficult time maneuvering both the key and not waking his friend. Finally he managed to get the door open. 'This place really is not that horrible.' Zee thought.  
Pulling back the comforter, Zee quickly scanned the bed for anything that could hurt Ro or cause her any discomfort. Finding none he gently placed her on the bed and removed her shoes before covering her up.  
Like every night, Zee sat down in a nearby chair and powered down for the night, making sure to keep his "snoring" as quiet as possible. Ro rolled in her sleep to find a more comfortable position. In doing this, she fell off the bed. She got up off the floor mentally yelling at herself for doing something like that. Slowly she looked around the room. The first thing that she noticed was that she was in a hotel room. She vaguely remembered Zee driving around.  
'Zee!' The room was pitch black so Ro listened for any sign of her friend but heard none. "He did it, he left me here to keep me safe." The tears rolled down her face unbidden. She sat there on the floor, sobbing gently.  
Upon hearing a unidentified sound in the room, Zeta's optic units activated. The first thing he did was look to see if Ro was all right. He was surprised to see that she wasn't in the bed. He slowly got up from the chair and saw her curled up on the floor crying. Figuring she was having a bad dream, he picked her up to put her back in bed.  
Ro was in her own, miserable world when she felt herself being lifted into the air. She opened her eyes to see Zeta lifting her up. She threw her arms around him. He seemed shocked, or as shocked as a synthoid could be, that she did this. "I thought that you had left me alone," she whispered.  
"You fell asleep in the lobby so I carried you here. You must have had a nightmare."  
"Zee."  
"Yes?"  
"Promise that you'll never leave me."  
"Ro, I cannot make such a promise."  
"Please."  
"I will never leave you Ro."  
  
'After last night this is more like it, a normal day.' Ro and Zee were once again running across rooftops. Ro risked a quick glance over her shoulder. She saw someone coming after them, coming and gaining. She looked forward again just in time to see her escape route cut off. The distance to the next building was to far for even Zee to reach.  
Ro started to slide on the tarpaper which was slick with morning dew. Luckily Zee managed to grab her just in time. Zee hugged her tightly. "This is where we part, Ro. It is too dangerous for you. Goodbye." Zee gently pushed her away and stood up. The masked figure raised his blaster and fired.  
Zee stood there ready to take the shot and let Ro live freely, even if it was without him. He heard a grunt and saw Ro standing at the edge of the roof grasping her stomach. "Zee."  
Zee ran to the edge of the building. He was almost there when she fell. "Ro!!!"  
  
Testing the new hovercar, Mina was just about to turn around and make the report when she heard the gun shot. Throwing the car into reverse she sped down an alley.  
"Ro!!!"  
Mina saw someone fall off of the roof. "Well, time to try this out."  
  
Zee was in shock, someone had shot Ro. It seemed so illogical to him. HE was the one that they wanted, not her. He turned to confront the gunman only to find that he was alone on the roof.  
There seemed only one thing to do. Zee jumped off the roof to try and catch his friend. 


	2. Whose leap of faith?

Mina pushed the gas down as far as it would go, praying that she would make it in time. 'Well, time to see if the boosters really work,' she thought.  
She reached down to the console and pressed a blue button. "Please work," she whispered.  
Within a second the car shot up several feet and the falling girl landed safely on the soft backseat. Mina pressed the blue button again to attain regulation street height. Upon attaining it, she turned around to see what she had caught. "Huh, that's interesting."  
She was just about to check the girl's vital signs as the laser seemed to have cauterized the wound already when something hit the hood. Yelping she looked in front of her to see a synthoid. She just stared at the machine in front of her. Then she heard a noise from above. Looking up, she saw a masked man pointing a gun at them. Needless to say, she floored it.  
  
Mina didn't slow down the car until they were five blocks from the alleyway. At that time, she pulled into a Groundwire and stopped. The synthoid got off the hood and walked towards the back door.  
"Where are you gonna take her, you can't go to the hospital that guy will look there first," Mina said, hoping that the synthoid would take instructions from one who didn't own it, without looking.  
"Where am I supposed to take her? I cannot let her die, she is my friend. Will you help me save her?"  
Hearing the synthoid call the girl his friend with such sincerity in its voice surprised even Mina. She turned and didn't see the robot that destroyed her car. She saw a young man, late teens, with black hair and wearing a violet overcoat looking down at the girl in the backseat, his face full of concern.  
Mina gasped. 'This is too weird.'  
She squeezed the bridge of her nose as she thought. "Get in the car; I know some one who can help. He's a doctor and owes me a favor."  
The synthoid looked at Mina and smiled. "Thank you. Thank you very mu..."  
"Listen, if I do this, then you owe me. Are you alright with that?"  
"Yes, as long as Ro is alive and safe," Zee said while climbing in the backseat.  
Mina threw the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. She used the rearview mirror to make sure that no one would see. It was clear. She pressed her right ear to activate the remote dialing system. All she had to do was whisper a name, any name and that person would be called. She looked at the note that had been left on the car that morning. It read: If the Infiltration Unit come within your grasp, contact NSA Agent James Bennett.  
Once again Mina looked into the rearview mirror. The synthoid was holding the girl's head in its lap, calming her by stroking her hair. 'Why couldn't he be somewhere that I could call him and ask him.'  
"Call James B."  
  
"Hey, can you talk? No, I'm not alone. Look I have... No, not that. There's nothing you or I can do for that. Listen. Meet me at the house ASAP, okay? See you in a bit. Bye." Mina once again looked into the back seat, hoping that neither of them heard or cared about the call.  
They drove on in silence for five minutes until they reached a large metal gate. Mina stopped the car and allowed her retina to be scanned for entrance. The gate swung open and she drove in, hoping to God that she had made the right choice. She saw his car parked a little ways from the house. She pulled up to the front door and put the car into park.  
"Are we here?" asked Zee.  
'He sounds so much like a child.' "Yeah, we're here. Grab her and come in, he's waiting."  
Mina climbed out of the driver's seat and walked up the stairs to the front door. Zee followed her carrying Ro. Mina opened the door and walked in with Zee at her heels. She led him into what seemed to be the living room. "Put her on the couch and then wait in the hallway. He likes to work without being disturbed. I'll go and get him now."  
Zee gently laid Ro on the couch. "It will be okay Ro. You'll be just fine." Then he went to wait in the hall. 


	3. Follow the leader

Sorry it's taken so long to update, over a year is just too long. I've been busy, school, work (DQ sucks to work at), it took forever to upload chapters, I lost my disk that had the chapters on it, and I just wanted to spend time with my friends. I started writing this as a senior and most of my free time was spent with them. I only had so much time to spend on everything. So now I'm at college and will write when ever I have time to do so.

Disclaimer: I don't own Zee, Ro, etc. and all that jazz.

Zee heard the door open and someone walk into the room where Ro was lying unconscious. It hurt him not to be close to her when she really needed him. If she died then it would be all his fault. He sat in a chair that was close to the door. He heard people talking in low voices, so low that with his auditory sensors couldn't pick up what they were saying without turning them up. He caught what one of them was saying because the voice was growing louder.

"For goodness sakes James, just do it. You owe it to me to do what I ask without any explanation. You promised me a favor, no matter what it was. I'm collecting it now. If you don't than I'll take back what I did for you, understand?"

Then Mina came through the door. After she shut the door, she leaned her head against it. Her head pounded. She pulled out a bottle of pills and shook one out. She swallowed it without any water. She turned around and jumped as she saw Zee, as if she had forgotten about him.

Getting up, Zee asked, "Are you alright, do you need to sit down?"

"No, I'm fine." She started shaking.

"You are shaking, you need to sit down."

"Who are you, my mother? I said that I'm fine. Just drop it," she yelled before falling to the ground, clutching her chest and coughing. She wiped her hand off on her pants before getting up.

"Allow me to help you up."

"I'm fine. Follow me."

"But, is Ro going to live?"

"She's fine, the doctor's with her now."

"Thank you."

"Are you ready to repay my favor, or do you want to make sure that she's okay."

"I trust you. Lead the way."

Mina nodded and started walking down the hall with Zee following close behind. After several minutes of uneventful walking, Mina stopped abruptly and started talking. "What is it now? What do you want?"

"I want nothing but to repay your kindness."

"One moment, what'd you say?"

"I answered your question."

Mina started to laugh slightly. "I wasn't talking to you. I have a micro receiver in my ear that people can talk to me through. I was just talking to someone through it. Just give me a moment."

With that Mina turned and quickly finished her conversation quickly. Zee looked at a photograph that was hanging on the wall of two children, a dark-haired boy and a blonde girl. The girl was sitting on the ground under a tree with a hurt knee. The boy was putting a bandage on her knee.

Mina walked up behind him. "That's my brother. I fell out of that tree and he was making me feel better. He always knew how to comfort me. I miss him."

"Where is he?"  
"Gone. Let's keep moving."

With one last look at the picture, Zee started walking after Mina. When they reached the end of the hallway Mina opened a control box and entered a code. A door opened to reveal a stairwell going down.

"Stick close to me, there's a lot of twists and turns down here, wouldn't want you getting lost." Mina said as she started descending the stairs.


	4. Changing lives

Zee and Mina had been walking for about ten minutes when Mina stopped. She turned and looked Zee right in the face. "Let me tell you something, if you refuse to do my favor, I take mine back. Do you understand?"

"If I do not do what you ask, you will not help Ro. I understand."

"Okay, follow me."

Mina opened the door. Zee followed her inside and saw that the room resembled a hospital room. He could hear a respirator from behind a curtain in the middle of the room. Mina stood there just staring at the curtain for a minute. She started walking towards it. "Stay here." Then she was blocked from view.

After a few moments Mina pushed the curtain back and Zee walked towards the bed. He was amazed at what he saw. Lying there on the bed was a young man with black hair and pale skin, a young man who looked just like him.

"Did you think that you came by this look on your own?" Mina asked in a quiet voice.

"Who is he?"

"This is my brother, Zachery."

"You said he was dead."

"Might as well be dead. He's been liked this for the last five years."

Turning to face Mina Zee asked, "How did this happen?"

Mina looked away and said in a whisper, "It's my fault. There was an accident. I almost got hit by a car; he pushed me out of the way and got hit instead. He's brain dead, but I can't let him go, neither can Dr. Selig."

When he heard that name, Zee turned around. "You know Dr. Selig."

Mina nodded. "He took me in after my parents died, treated me like I was a member of his family. That's how I know about you Zeta, and that's why I called Agent Bennett."

"Does he have a part in your favor?"

"Yes, I'm turning Zeta over to him."

"I understand. When will he arrive?"

"I don't think that you do. He'll be here in a few hours so we need to hurry."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a favor of my own to finish. Follow me."

Ro slowly opened her eyes. When she tried to sit up her stomach felt like it was going rip open. "You shouldn't move, you'll tear your wound open again," said a strange voice.

Ro looked up to see a young man with curly brown hair looking down at her. "My name is James Benjamin. I fixed your stomach up and moved you into a room. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine except for my stomach. Where am I?"

"You're at Mina's house. You mean that you don't know her. That must mean that young man does."

"You mean Zee, tall guy with black hair? He was here, where's he know?"

"Calm down. He came in to say goodbye and then left."

Ro started to get up but was gently pushed back onto the bed. "You shouldn't move, that wound could reopen and then I'd have to fix it again."

"No, I have to find Zee. He promised that he wouldn't leave me."

The familiar voice of Agent Bennett answered her. "Well, that's a promise that Zeta won't be able to keep. We're here to collect him."


	5. Bennett Arrives

"Bennett! You leave him alone, he's not dangerous. He helps people. He helps people!" Ro yelled as Agent Bennett walked through the room.

West asked, "Sir, what about the girl?"

"She's been cleared of all charges. She's to remain here under the watch of Ms. Ash," Bennett replied.

"Zee, if you can hear me, run. Run!" Ro screamed.

"Miss Rowan, you need to calm down. We don't want you to break your stitches do we? Now I'm going to give you something to help you sleep," said James in a soothing voice.

"Zee, I have to warn Zee before they get him."

Then Ro slowly fell to the couch. James took one last look at her and walked towards the front door. "We're even now Mina."

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Mina met the agents at the hidden door at the end of the hallway. "Follow please," Mina said turning, "and don't touch anything. The equipment in my lab is very… touchy and dangerous. I've been keeping the synthoid in here within a magnetic barrier."

The group walked for a few minutes before encountering the bed where her brother was. West stopped and started walking towards the curtain. "Touch that curtain and it will be the last thing that you do." Mina warned without even breaking her stride.

West pulled back his hand and followed, looking warily behind him. The group reached a small door on the right side of the hallway which Mina opened. She entered first, waiting to one side of the doorway as the others entered. West brought up the rear.

"Hello Zeta, you can't escape us this time. We will bring you in," gloated Bennett.

"The console in front of you has the control for the barrier; under no circumstances are you to touch that console. If you do, it'll be freed or an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) field will be created frying all the electronics within it, namely your synthoid," said Mina.

West wasn't watching where he was walking, he was staring around the lab. As he walked by her, Mina stretched out her foot, tripping him. He fell into the console, creating an EMP field. Bennett watched in horror as Zeta started gyrating as the electricity flowed through its body. "What happened!" Bennett screamed, his face reddening.


	6. Difference

Ro slowly opened her eyes. She felt hazy and the light hurt her eyes. 'Where could Zee be? I can't hear him snoring. Maybe he went to get some breakfast, or maybe he left.' With this thought she tried to sit up, but felt a stabbing pain in her stomach. Then everything came back. She sank back onto the couch and let the tears roll down her face. Then she heard an argument in the hallway.

"So you're saying that this is my fault! I told you what would happen if you moved that dial! As for how long this took, I couldn't help that. The field fried the system, locking me out. I did the best that I could. Don't blame me for the…" Then there was a coughing fit. It sounded like someone was trying to cough a lung.

"Don't touch me. Leave me alone. Just take what you came for and get out of my house before I have to throw you out."

With that Agent Bennett and the other agents entered the room pushing a cart. Ro opened her eyes and watched as they moved across the room. Bennett saw that they were being watched. "Consider yourself lucky. Ms. Ash over there has secured your freedom. All charges against you have been dropped."

"What about Zee?"

"Zeta is in our custody. It will be examined to determine what happened."

Then Bennett left the room. Ro tried to get up and follow them, but she felt too weak.

"You shouldn't move. You'll feel it later."

Ro turned to look at the person who just spoke. "You must be Ms. Ash," Ro said, her voice dripping with anger.

"Call me Mina. I hate being called Ms. Ash."

"How could you do that to Zee? What did he ever do to you?"

"I didn't do anything to Zee, what I gave the government was a synthoid. Now please be quiet. I don't feel very well."

"You don't feel well, what about…" At this moment Ro noticed there was blood running from the corner of Mina's mouth and that she was shaking.

Mina noticed Ro looking at her mouth. She wiped the blood away. "I suffer from a degenerative illness, too much stress causes some side effects."

"Why did you do that to Zee?" Ro asked, crying.

Then Ro heard a familiar voice. "What did she do to me Ro?"

She turned around to see Zee standing in the doorway. His face looked the same, same black hair, same innocent expression on his face.

"Miss Rowan, allow me to introduce my brother, Zachery."


	7. Time for Bed

Ro stared closer at the new arrival and realized that it wasn't Zeta. He was too pale and thin, like he hadn't been outside in months, or even years. She was very confused. Why did this person look so much like Zee and how did he know her name?

"Zach, you should go lie down, you've had too much excitement for today. Miss Rowan has too and needs her rest. You can see her later," said Mina, taking the stranger by the arm and led him out of the room.

As soon as they were in the hallway, Zee stopped and turned to Mina. "Why didn't we tell Ro the truth?"

"She needs her rest. If we told her now she wouldn't rest. Besides, you need rest too."

Mina started walking again while Zee stood there thinking about what she said. When he noticed that he was alone, he ran to catch up. They walked in silence for a while, each absorbed in their own thoughts. At the end of a hallway Mina stopped and opened a door.

"You can sleep in here. I'll wake you up for breakfast. Stay in here until I come for you, no visiting Miss Rowan. She needs her rest and I don't need to go looking for you."

"All right. You will take care of Ro?"

"I promise. G' night."

"Good night."

With that she left him alone in the room. He closed the door and walked over to the bed. He was feeling drained, tired. It was a new sensation and he liked it. He laid down on the bed and fell asleep.

As soon as the door closed Mina started shaking uncontrollably. She ran into the bathroom and proceeded to throw up her dinner. 'I don't know how much longer I can take this. I have to stay though; I have to keep my word. All he asked was that I do this one thing for him and I have to. After all that they did for me I have to do this.'

She took a few more of her pills. As soon as the shaking was under control she went to her room and grabbed a blanket off of her bed. She whispered, "Why do I even have that bed, I never sleep in it."

She took her blanket into the living room and threw it on a chair close to Ro. She checked Ro's vital signs and gave her an injection that Dr. Benjamin had left to make sure that she slept through the night. Then she sat down, wrapped herself in the blanket, and went to sleep.


	8. To sleep, perhaps to dream

Sorry about the lack of updating and the short chapters. Collegey stuff like homework keeps getting in the way. I'm working and uploading as often as I can. Now here's the next installment.

Mina woke up at sunrise. She made sure that Ro was alright before leaving the room. By force of habit she went to check on Zachery, only to remember that he wasn't there. It was a nice thought. Only he wasn't really her Zee anymore, he was her Zee. Her brother was dead, he had died years ago but she couldn't let go. She had lost so much that she couldn't lose him. That's why she had spent so much time keeping his body alive and finding a way to wake him up. Dr. Selig knew what she was doing so he had talked to her and they had come up with this. A feeling synthoid that would learn and they had made sure to include a little of Zach into him.

She walked into the room where Zee was staying. She stood in the doorway watching Zee sleep. She wondered what he was dreaming about. Her face fell a little as she began to think. 'I should feel good about this. My brother is dead now, he's really dead. There's no more doubt. Someone else has someone to care about them now. I guess it's just my lot in life to be alone.'

Mina felt the familiar constricting of her lungs and quickly closed the door. She knew that he had to be tired and didn't want to wake him any sooner than was necessary. Zee and his friend had enough to worry about without her condition. She ran down the hallway towards her room and her medication, willing herself not to have a fit in the hallway. She barely made it to her room before the coughing started. Unfortunately, she didn't get her pills in time, fell onto her bed, and couldn't get up or even move. Everything hurt but she'd have to wait for it to pass. 'I wish this would stop.'

She stared at the few pictures that she had on her desk. They were all taken about the same time, from when she was about eight to twelve. Those were the only truly happy days. Her biological had left her mother before she was born. Her mother had died when she was two and she was returned to her father. He basically sold her when she was three to a man who owned a little bar. She ran away when she was five and lived on the streets until she met Zach. Her chest started to scream in agony until she fell unconscious. Then she started to remember. It wasn't like a normal, more like watching a movie about yourself.

Mina had met good people who took care of her after she ran away. She lived alone in a warehouse near the edge of town. Those people she never considered them family or friends, she believed that the idea of having people care about you was a lie. In the end they always betrayed you. Those people have helped her find a place to sleep, clothes, and food. She did go without food some days but she never starved. Her lack of food on these days was in fact her own fault. She would give it to those she saw in the streets that she felt needed it more.

She was walking down the street late one night, taking a shortcut through a seedy part of the city. As she passed an alleyway she heard a struggle. She saw three teenagers cornering a man and boy. She knew these teenagers were thugs, each with a favorite "toy." The leader favored a tazer and the other two liked chains and brass knuckles.

"Give us whatever creds you got and we'll letcha go."

"I'm sorry, young man, but I don't have any creds on me. So, if you'll excuse us, my son and I need to get home," said the man.

"I don't think so."

With that the thugs moved in. The boy stepped in front of his father. 'Just keep going Mina, do not get involved. Not this time.'

One of the thugs swung a chain at them and hit the boy in the arm. "For crying out loud…"

Mina ran towards them and hit the leader in the back of the legs. He landed on the ground with a grunt. This got the attention of the others. She grabbed his tazer and shocked him. The one with the chain ran towards her swinging. She ducked out of the way and hit him too. Unfortunately the one with the brass knuckles had gotten behind her and hit her in the side. She fell to the ground. He stood over her laughing.

It was that sound that kept her awake. It sounded just like when she was smaller. She laid there waiting for him to get closer and increasing the voltage on the tazer. When he was close enough she zapped him and didn't stop until she started having a fit. It was the worst one that she could remember having and the first time that she blacked out.

Mina's senses slowly came worked their way through the haze that surrounded her. She heard voices near her.

"…are good Dr. Selig, but I'm afraid that it wasn't the injury that caused the blackout."

"She took a very severe hit for my son. Are you sure that it had nothing to do with it?"

"It may have contributed to it but she has a medical condition that has gone unchecked for years. That was actually the cause."

"Will she make it?"

"Yes, I believe she will. I don't know how long she can last. This disease is degenerative and even at this stage requires medication. She lives on the streets."

"Yes, I am working to remedy that situation. It appears that our little friend is awake."

"Young lady, my name is Dr. Hass and you're in the hospital."

Not even opening her eyes, Mina said, "Lady, my name's Mina and as for the hospital, well duh."

Dr. Hass started to examine Mina. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Like I was hit by a train. I can't pay you or anything."

Dr. Selig gave the answer. "I'm paying for this. You saved my son and this is my way of repaying you. I'm also offering you a home."

"Why would I want that?"

"If you don't come with me then you'll be placed in the child care system."

"I guess I have no choice. Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a doctor and my name is Eli Selig. I have a son named Zachery…"


	9. A little bit of food for the soul

Zee woke up a few hours after Mina passed out. He felt strange, empty. This feeling scared him. He decided to find Ro and ask her. He trusted her and knew that she wouldn't lie to him. He stood up and looked around the room for the first time. Hanging over a chair were some clothes for him to wear, a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt.

After dressing quickly Zee retraced his steps from the previous night. Ro was still sleeping when he opened the door to the living room. She looked so peaceful. Then Zee noticed the blanket that was on the chair next to the couch. He remembered that Mina said that she would wake them up for breakfast. That's when he figured out what was wrong, he was hungry. He went to find Mina, or the kitchen.

Zee wandered through the house for about half an hour before he found Mina's room. He knocked on the door and opened the door. It worried him to see her position. She was laying across the width of the bed, flat on her stomach with her legs hanging off. She looked really pale.

Zee walked over and picked her up. He moved to the side of the bed, laid her down so she was on all the way, and placed a blanket over her. An empty pill bottle caused him to nearly fall as he was leaving. He picked it up and attempted to read the scratched-out label out loud.

"'Willamina N. Selig,' seven refills. Does not say what is wrong with her or even her doctor. I will ask Ro about this."

He walked back to the living room. Ro had not yet awaken so Zee thought about what had happened the night before.

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Zee had allowed Mina to lead him into the lab. There she connected him to a supercomputer and downloaded his consciousness into a special component. That is the last thing that he remembered until he woke up to Mina's voice. "Zee, can you hear me?"

Zee opened his eyes and looked around. He felt different, cold. Then it hit him, he could feel. "I am cold."

"That's nice Zee. How do you feel other than cold? Any pain, nausea?"

"No, I feel…good. How did you do this?"

Mina sat on the edge of the bed. "I used an implant that Doc and I put in Zach when he first went into the coma to replace the damaged tissue. I reconfigured the wave pattern and made it compatible with a new device. I downloaded all of your memory data onto this device and then onto the implant. Well, after I replaced the memory. All that they'll get is whatever survived the EMP."

"An EMP? What happened?"

"Agent West had a little accident."

"Why did you do that?"

"So that they wouldn't discover that I tampered with the data."

"No, I mean all of this."

Mina got up and walked to the machines surrounding the bed. "That is none of your concern."

"I am sorry if I said anything I should not have."

"Listen, for now, don't say anything to your friend, at least, not until tomorrow. I want her to rest before we spring this on her."

"I understand. What about Agent Bennett. He will come looking for me."

"He's here but they're loading up Zeta and that's all that he wants. Wait five minutes and then come upstairs."

"I will."

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Ro started to stir as Zee walked in and kneeled by her. She opened her eyes and saw him. She threw her arms around him. "Zee! How did you get away from Bennett?"

Then she pulled back. Something wasn't right. He felt different, too warm and soft. "Zee?"

"Yes, Ro."

"Is that you? What happened to you?"

"That is for Mina to explain. Are you hungry?"

"I guess."

"Good, let's find the kitchen. I am hungry too."

Zee got up and went to the doorway leading away from the bedrooms. Even more confused Ro got up and followed him out of the living room. They found the kitchen very quickly. It was an old fashioned kitchen, late twentieth century. "Retro." Ro went to the fridge and pulled out some bread, butter, and strawberry jam.

She started to make toast. Zee just stood there watching Ro butter the toast. It smelled so good and made his stomach growl.


	10. The Most Important Meal of the Day

Mina awoke as Zee shifted her position. She had recovered from her attack and feigned sleep. She wanted to see how this synthoid gone human would react. It surprised her that he moved her, it was something that Zach had done for her many times in the past. The thought of sleep was tempting, but Zee knew nothing of the house or what to do now that he was human. Also the girl would need checking out.

'Great. I used up a favor that by all means should have been saved for later. I still cannot believe that he gave me that much grief over something as trivial as that. After what I did for him, completely calling off his debt for something like this is too much. Well, no use crying over spilled milk.'

Mina slowly got up, ignoring the pounding in her head. She walked over to her dresser to get some clean clothes and stopped to stare at the photos. They were real pictures, not holograms like most people had. She had earned the money to buy an old camera when she was eight. Doctor Selig was the one that bought it for her so she figured that it was more expensive than the money that she gave for it. She had learned to develop the film herself and loved to take pictures whenever she could. That camera was another reason that she had to pay them back. "Almost ten years later and I'm still in that mind set."

She picked up one of the photos. This picture was different because, where the others had only one or two members of her little family, it had all three. She had discovered the auto-timer and wanted to try it out. It was a horrible picture, no one looking at the camera and they were blurry. They were together though.

Mina pulled on her clothes and made her way to the living room. She noticed that Ro was not where she left her. This caused her to look at the clock. It was nearly ten. She guessed that they would have made their way to the kitchen so that is the direction that she headed.

Zee was standing very straight and watched Ro make the toast. She was humming to herself then suddenly stopped. "What's gonna happen to us now Zee? I mean, are we gonna go our separate ways or stay together? Can we both stay here? I mean, you really can't go anywhere because this girl is the only person who knows what's going on."

Ro looked like she was on the verge of tears so Zee did what came naturally; he hugged her. "I am not sure Ro, but it will work out. I know it will."

Zee felt a little sick to his stomach at the thought of losing her. That couldn't happen. He tightened his grip as though she would fall away at that second.

She was shocked, not at the action but at how he felt. Ro was expecting to feel the familiar metal body and arms encircle her and now she felt human arms. It was odd. "Zee don't take this the wrong way but you need a bath."

"You probably do too Miss Rowan. So don't judge."

Both Zee and Ro jumped at the sound of the new voice. They both turned to look at Mina, who was lounging in the doorway. "Don't let me interrupt whatever it was that you were doing."

The former synthoid and his accomplice look confused and Ro realized how this must have looked to Mina. She pulled away and the hurt look on Zee's face did not escape her. She busied herself with the toast once more.

Mina walked over to the cupboard and started pulling out a pot and box of something. Then she went to the refrigerator and got out the milk. "Make some for me without butter please. Also Zee shouldn't be eating toast yet. I'll make some oatmeal."

Ro was a little angry. She wanted to make Zee his first human meal and now this girl was pushing her aside. "What's wrong with toast?"

"His body wasn't had solid food in five years. It's not ready for it yet and I don't want to have to clean up any mess that he may make."

Ro blushed, she hadn't thought of that. She finished making the toast and took it over to the table. Zee followed her and sat next to her. The oatmeal was starting to smell really good.

"Sorry I didn't wake up sooner. You both must be starving," Mina said while looking in the refrigerator for things to add to the oatmeal. "Ro what do you like in your oatmeal?"

Ro was taken slightly aback at this. All of her life she had taken care of herself before she met Zee and now another person was asking. "Plain's fine for me."

"That's no fun."

Mina pulled her head out of the fridge and what followed was anything you could conceivably put into a breakfast food. She pulled down some brown sugar as well. After she had put them down on the table she dished out three bowls of oatmeal and brought it back.

She set the food down in front of them and then started to load hers up with the brown sugar. At the same time she reached for a piece of toast and was munching happily on it. Ro and Zee looked and each other and then at their hostess. Zee opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by a hand in the air. "No shoptalk at the table. It's all too heavy for breakfast anyways."

Ro reached for her spoon and some blueberries before tucking into her oatmeal. Zee watched her for a few moments before eating his breakfast plain. Not a word was spoken until the meal was over. Ro giggled the first time that Zee put the hot food in his mouth. Mina just sat there watching with a small smile on her face. It fell when she realized something. 'That's all I ever do isn't it. I watch.'

Mina picked up her dishes and put them in the sink. "Mina, where are you going?"

She cringed at hearing these words as he said them, because they struck too close to home. "I need to check my car. Someone busted my hood. I'll be back in about an hour then we can go shopping for clothes and other things you will need for your stay."

"Are we both staying?"

"Yes. I promised Doc that I'd look after you and this was the only way to keep Ro out of jail."

"And here I thought you liked our company," Ro replied sarcastically.

"Go, shower, get dressed. I'll be back in an hour. Zee, don't overdo anything. If you feel funny sit down for a while."

With that Mina left the room. Ro and Zee looked at each other and they both smiled. "Well Zee, it looks like we're still in this together."

"I am very happy for that Ro. We still need to find your family and then you will leave. I will be alone again," Zee said sadly, looking away from her.

"Zee..." Ro began putting her hand on his arm.

Zee pulled away saying, "We should begin getting ready."

Ro stood there shocked as Zee walked away.


End file.
